Coil protector, method and kit therewith

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides a protector for protecting a steel coil having an outer curved surface, an inner core surface and a sidewall located there between, the protector comprising a first member adapted for engagement with a coil core; and a second member adapted for engagement with a coil outer surface. The invention further provides a protector for protecting a steel coil having an outer curved surface, an inner core surface and a sidewall located there between, the protector comprising a first member having a coil core guard; and a second member having a coil belly guard, wherein, in use, the coil core guard is located adjacent the coil core and the coil belly guard is located adjacent the coil outer surface, both the first and second members being adjacent the coil sidewall. Also provided is a method of protecting a steel coil from damage, the steel coil comprising the steps of providing a protector according to an aspect of the present invention; locating the first member adjacent a coil core; and locating the second member adjacent a coil outer surface.

The present invention relates to a steel coil guard for protecting asteel coil from damage, for example during post-delivery on-sitehandling. The present invention also provides a method of protecting asteel coil using a steel coil guard according to the present invention.

Steel coils are very heavy objects that are difficult to lift, handleand transport. Overhead cranes with large hooks, large fork lifts andother heavy duty lifting equipment is used to move the coils, bothduring delivery from supplier to customer and also during on-sitemovement of the coil post-delivery. Operators of such equipment areskilled in lifting, moving and positioning of heavy loads. However,despite considerable skill and attention, it is common for the surfacesand edges of the coils to suffer damage from contact with the equipment.In particular, the steel coil-eye and coil edges may suffer damage fromthe chains, hooks or forks passed through the coil during movement.Further damage to the coil may occur due to the coils be scraped orbumped whilst being handled. This may happen as a result of momentaryinattention on the part of the lifting equipment operator, poor sightlines between the operator and the steel coil, or accidentally bringingthe coil into contact with damaging surfaces such as walls etc. in theimmediately vicinity where the steel coil is being handled. Such damageincludes dents, impressions and abrasions to the surfaces of the steelcoil, which may render the steel wholly or partially unusable, creatingexpensive waste materials and an associated loss of income.

Often, lifting of the coils involves the use of chains run through thecoil-eye and secured tightly with binders. Alternatively, a liftingcrane hook may swing out of control or swing wider than intended by theoperator when approaching the coil to be moved, thereby scraping the topwall, upper edge and side wall surfaces of the coil before beingproperly located secured in place within the steel coil-eye or innerdiameter. This can result in physical damage to the steel as well asdeterioration in the appearance and quality of the steel and potentiallyrendering it unusable.

One solution to this is to package the steel coil prior totransportation. This is the usual practice when transporting coils fromthe supplier to the customer. For example, narrow edge protectors areoften applied to the top edge of the coil and are held in place bywrapping the coil in plastic. However, these edge protectors are smallin size and intended only to protect the coil from damage at the coiledge. They do not cover or protect the surfaces of the steel coil thatmay be impacted by unintentional contact with heavy duty machineryduring handling. Furthermore, as they are held in place relative to thecoil by the application of plastic wrapping, they are impractical foruse once the coil is on-site and the wrapping removed.

There is therefore a need for a device to protect the steel coil bore,edges and faces from damage during lifting, handling and movement,particularly on-site, post-delivery.

The present invention seeks to address the problems of the prior art.

Accordingly, a first aspect of the present invention provides a coilguard for protecting a steel coil having a belly, a bore and a facelocated therebetween, the coil guard comprising a first member adaptedfor engagement with the surface of a coil bore; and a second memberadapted for engagement with the surface of a coil belly.

In use, the first member is arranged to shield at least a portion of thecoil bore, often referred to as the coil-eye. The main portion of thecoil bore surface to protect is the upper surface of the coil bore. Thisis a part of the coil that is supported by chains passed through thecoil bore or a crane hook or a forklift fork when the coil is beinghandled, and is therefore at significant risk of damage. The firstmember acts to shield the coil bore upper surface from damage resultingfrom chains, hooks or forks scraping or carelessly engaging with thecoil bore during use. In addition, the first member acts to preventdamage to the surface of the coil bore that may be caused as a result offorce applied to the bore surface by chains, hooks or forks under theweight of the coil when being lifted.

In use, the second member is arranged to shield at least a portion ofthe surface of the coil belly. The main portion of the coil bellysurface to protect is the portion of the belly located at 10 o'clock to2 o'clock i.e. the upper quarter quadrant of the coil. This is anotherpart of the coil that is at significant risk of damage during handling.For example, when a crane hook is swung towards the coil it mayaccidentally impact the coil if the hook is swinging out of control orthe line of sight is obscured between the coil and the crane operator.The second member acts to absorb any impact to the protected coil bellysurface, thereby minimising or preventing consequential damage to thecoil.

In one embodiment, the first member comprises a coil bore guard forengagement with a coil bore and a coil face guard for engagement with acoil face. By extending over at least a portion of the coil face, thefirst member is protecting not only a portion of the upper surface ofthe coil bore, but also an adjacent portion of the surface of the coilface and the coil edge therebetween. The coil edge adjacent the coilbore is an area of the coil that can be damaged during the liftingprocess on insertion of chain, crane hook or fork-lift fork into thecoil bore. Protection of the coil edge adjacent the coil bore by thefirst member will minimise or prevent impact damage to the coil edge aswell as aesthetic scrape or dent damage to the surface of the coil facebeneath the coil face guard.

In a further embodiment, the second member comprises a coil belly guardfor engagement with the surface of a coil belly and a coil face guardfor engagement with the surface of a coil face. By extending over atleast a portion of the coil face surface, the second member isprotecting not only a portion of the coil belly surface, but also anadjacent portion of the coil face surface and the coil edgetherebetween. The coil edge adjacent the coil belly surface is an areaof the coil that is at significant risk of being damaged during themovement of the coil if the coil is accidentally bumped against anymachinery or masonry during the lifting process. In addition, where thecoil is suspended from chain during the lifting process, the chain candamage the coil edge adjacent the coil belly due to force applied to thecoil edge by the chain under the weight of the coil itself.

Preferably, the coil guard further comprises engagement means adapted toengage both the first and second members. In this way, the first andsecond members can be held spatially relative to one another and thecoil. This facilitates ease of application of the protector to the coil,in use.

In one embodiment, the engagement means comprises a first portionlocated adjacent the first member and a second portion located adjacentthe second member, the first and second portions being adapted forcomplementary engagement with each other to secure the first member tothe second member.

Preferably, the first and second portions comprise complementaryengagement portions adapted for reversible engagement with one anotherto retain the first and second members in place relative to one another.The engagement portions preferably comprise a Velcro® material orsimilar inter-engaging hooks and loops. However, it is to be appreciatedthat the complementary engagement portions may comprise a snap-fitfastening, a belt fastening, a buckle fastening, a ratchet fastening orany other engagement means known to the skilled person and suitable forreversibly attaching the first and second portions together.

Preferably, the first and second portions of the engagement means areadhered to the first and second members respectively. In this way,contacting the first and second portions together will result insecuring of the first and second members together.

Alternatively, the complementary engagement portions may be adapted forirreversible engagement with one another. For example, a cable tiearrangement or similar irreversible engagement means may be used. Whenremoval of the protector from the coil is required, the engagement meansmay be simply cut or otherwise damaged to release the protector from thecoil and a new engagement means used on the next occasion that theprotector is applied to a coil.

Alternatively, the engagement means may comprise a first portion adaptedfor connection to either of the first or second members. The engagementmeans may then be connected to itself so as to hold the first and secondmembers in special relationship to both one another as well as hold theprotector securely in place relative to the coil.

In one embodiment, the engagement means is adapted to extend through thecoil core and around the coil outer surface. In this way, the first andsecond members will be held securely in place relative to both the coiland to one another.

A second aspect of the present invention provides a coil guard forprotecting a steel coil having a belly, a bore and a face locatedtherebetween, the coil guard comprising: a first member having a coilbore guard adapted for engagement with a surface of a coil bore and acoil face guard adapted for engagement with a surface of a coil face;and a second member having a coil belly guard adapted for engagementwith a surface of a coil belly and a coil face guard adapted forengagement with a surface of a coil face, wherein the first and secondmembers include first and second engagement means respectively, thefirst engagement means being releasably engageable with the secondengagement means, and wherein the coil guard has a closed configurationin which the first and second members partially overlap with one anotherand the first engagement means is engaged with the second engagementmeans, and an open configuration in which the first and second membersare separated from one another such that the first engagement means isnot engaged with the second engagement means.

In one embodiment, when the coil guard is in the closed configuration,one or both coil face guards of the first and second members,respectively, only extend across a part of the coil face surface.

In a further embodiment, one of the first and second engagement meanscomprises a plurality of hooks and the other of the first and secondengagement means comprises a plurality of loops.

Preferably, the first and second engagement means are adhered to thefirst and second members accordingly. However, it is to be appreciatedthat first and second engagement means may be engaged to the first andsecond members by any suitable means known to the skilled personincluding, but not limited to, bonding, screwing, snap fit fastened ormay be integrally moulded with the respective first or second member.

A third aspect of the present invention provides a method of protectinga steel coil from damage, the steel coil comprising a belly, a bore anda face located therebetween, the method comprising the steps of:

a. Providing a coil guard according to a first or second aspect of thepresent invention;

b. Locating the second member adjacent the surface of a coil belly; and

c. Locating the first member adjacent the surface of a coil bore.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises the steps of:

d. providing engagement means adapted to engage both the first andsecond members; and

e. connecting the first and second members to one another using theengagement means.

In a further embodiment, the engagement means comprises a first portionlocated adjacent the first member and a second portion located adjacentthe second member such that locating the first member adjacent thesurface of a coil bore brings the first and second portions of theengagement means into engagement with one another.

A fourth aspect of the present invention provides a method of protectinga steel coil from damage, the steel coil comprising a belly, a bore anda face located therebetween, the method comprising the steps of:

a. Providing a coil guard according to a first or second aspect of thepresent invention;

b. Locating the second member adjacent the surface of a coil belly; and

c. Locating the first member adjacent the surface of a coil bore suchthat the first and second members partially overlap with one another andthe first engagement means is engaged with the second engagement means.

A further aspect of the present invention provides a coil guard kitcomprising a coil guard according to a first or second aspect of thepresent invention, wherein the coil face guard of the second memberextends from the coil belly guard for a distance X, and wherein the coilguard kit further comprises an additional second member having a coilface guard that extends from the coil belly guard for a distance X′,wherein the distance X′ is greater than the distance X.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of exampleonly, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steel coil provided with an embodimentof a coil protector in accordance with a first aspect of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view through the steel coil and coil guardof FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view through a smaller steel coil providedwith a second embodiment of a coil protector in accordance with a firstaspect of the present invention;

FIGS. 4A, 4A′ are perspective views of the second member of the coilguard of FIG. 2 and the coil guard of FIG. 3, respectively, from a firstside, FIGS. 4B, 4B′ are perspective views of the second member of thecoil guard of FIG. 2 and the coil guard of FIG. 3, respectively, from asecond opposing side; and

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of the first member of the coil guard ofFIGS. 2 and 3, from a first side; and FIG. 5B is a perspective view ofthe first member of the coil guard of FIGS. 2 and 3, from a secondopposing side.

Throughout the figures, the same reference numbers have been used torefer to the same features.

FIG. 1 shows a steel coil 10 defining a coil bore 14 having a surface16. Steel coil 10 further comprises a face 12 and a belly 18. A firstcore edge 15 is defined at the junction of coil bore surface 16 and coilface 12 and a second core edge 17 is defined at the junction of thesurface of coil belly 18 and coil face 12.

Coil guard 20 comprises a first member 22 and a second member 32.

First member 22 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 2, 3 and 4C. Firstmember 22 comprises a coil core guard 24 for location adjacent a portionof the coil core surface 14 and a coil sidewall guard 26 for locationadjacent a portion of the coil sidewall 12. Coil core guard 24 and soilsidewall guard 26 are substantially perpendicular to one another anddefine an edge guard 25 therebetween, such that, in use, edge guard 25is located adjacent first core edge 15.

First member 22 further comprises Velcro® type loop pads 29 adhered tothe surface of sidewall guard 26.

FIGS. 1, 2, 4A and 4B show a large version of the second member 32 andFIGS. 3, 4A′ and 4B′ show a smaller version—the selection of whichversion to use will depend on the diameter of the steel coil to beprotected. Larger coils i.e. coils with larger diameters of, forexample, 8 feet, will require the larger version of the second member inorder that the second member may extend sufficiently across the sidewall12 to still overlap with first member 22. However, the larger versionwill be too big to be a good fit on smaller coils i.e. coils with asmaller diameter of, for example, 2 feet, and so a smaller version ofthe second member 22 may be used instead. These two versions of secondmember 32 are intended for use on steel coils with a standard range ofcoil diameters. However, it is to be appreciated that first and secondmembers 22, 32 may be of any suitable dimensions to allow their use withsteel coils of various selected diameters.

Conventional steel coils are manufactured with standard coil bore sizes,with the coil bore diameter being 406 mm (16 inches), 508 mm (20 inches)or 610 mm (24 inches). These sizes correspond to the dimensions of themachinery etc. that handles the coils during on-site processing.

For example, the dimensions of the first member 22 that should be usedwill depend on the diameter of the coil bore i.e. the first member maycorrespond to a bore size of 406 mm, 508 mm or 610 mm, depending on therequirement of the customer and the dimensions of their coilhandling/processing equipment. However, the dimension of the secondmember 32 selected for use is selected depending on the diameter of thecoil—the second member 32 selected needs to extend sufficiently acrossthe coil sidewall to allow overlap with the first member 22. However, itcannot be too big as it would interfere with the fitting of the secondmember 22 if it extended past the first core edge 15.

Second member 32 comprises a coil belly guard 34 for location adjacent aportion of the coil outer surface 16 and a coil sidewall guard 36 forlocation adjacent a portion of the coil sidewall 12. Coil belly guard 34and soil sidewall guard 36 are substantially perpendicular to oneanother and define an edge guard 35 therebetween, such that, in use,edge guard 35 is located adjacent second core edge 17.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4B, 4B′, second member 32 is further providedwith Velcro® style hook pads 40 adhered to the outer surface of coilface guard 36 i.e. on the opposite surface to that contacting the coilface 12, in use.

In use, second member 32 is positioned in place relative to coil 10, asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3 such that coil belly guard 34 contacts coil belly18, coil edge guard 35 contacts coil edge 17 and coil face guard 36contact coil face 12, with Velcro like pads 40 facing away from coil 10.Second member 32 should be positioned on coil 10 in the upper quadrant,sometimes referred to as the 10-to-2 o'clock position (making referenceto the time on an analogue clock face), as shown in FIG. 1. Thisquadrant of the coil 10 is the part of the coil 10 that is exposed tothe greatest likelihood of damage during handling of the coilpost-delivery. Once second member 32 is in place, first member 22 ispositioned in place relative to coil 10, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, suchthat coil bore guard 24 is located adjacent coil bore 14, coil edgeguard 25 is located adjacent coil edge 15 and coil face guard 26 islocated adjacent coil face 12. As can be seen from the figures, thefirst and second members 22, 32 partially overlap with one another suchthat engagement means (loop pads 29 and hook pads 40) are brought intocontact with one another. Once in place, Velcro type loop pads 29 makecontact with and engage with corresponding Velcro type hook pads 40 ofsecond member 32, thereby securing first member 22 to second member 32,and securing both members in place relative to coil 10.

Once secured in place, the coil may be safely moved using conventionalheavy duty lifting equipment. The coil guard 20 protects the coil belly18, coil face 12 and coil bore 14 from damage from chain, crane hook orfork-lift fork impact, or impact of the coil 10 against any surroundingsurfaces during the handling process.

Once the coil 10 has been moved to the desired location and the heavyduty lifting equipment removed from the coil bore 14, the coil guard 20may be easily removed from the coil 10 by applying force to the firstmember 22 to loosen the attachment between loop pads 29 of first member22 and hook pads 40 of second member 32, thereby allowing first member22 to be disengaged from second member 32 and removal from coil 10.Second member 32 can then be simply lifted away from coil 10, leavingthe coil in an undamaged state and available for onward processing,while the coil guard 20 may be easily reused to protect another coil 10requiring handling.

Thus, the coil guard 20 has a closed configuration in which the firstand second members 22, 32 partially overlap with one another and thefirst engagement means 29 is engaged with the second engagement means40. Further, the coil guard 20 has an open configuration in which thefirst and second members 22, 32 are separated from one another such thatthe first engagement means 29 is not engaged with the second engagementmeans 40.

When the coil guard 20 is in the closed configuration, one or both ofthe coil face guards of the first and second members 22, 32,respectively, only extend across a part of the coil face surface.

Plastic is not normally used as a material for protecting coils as it isoften not strong enough to bear the weight and stresses is would beexposed to during the coil handling process. However, as can be seenfrom the figures, first and second members 22, 32 of coil guard 20 areprovided with ribs. These ribs 60 serve to strengthen the structure ofthe first and second members such that they are strong enough to use toprotect the coil 10 during the handling process without cracking ordisintegrating under the applied stresses. This allows a relativelylight weight two part plastic coil guard to be used during the handlingprocess that is easily lifted and manipulated into place by a singleoperator, without strain to the operator.

Coil guard 20 may comprise any suitable plastic, including, but notlimited to high density polyethylene (HDPE) or polypropylene (PP).

In addition, the ease with which the second member 32 and, subsequently,the first member 22 may be accurately fitted to the coil 10 during usemakes the process of preparing a coil 10 for handling efficient andstraightforward. Further, the use of large hook and loop pads to connectthe first and second members to one another to secure them in placerelative to the coil allows for adjustment of the engagement between thefirst and second members 22, 32 to accommodate variation in thediameters of the coils 10 being handled. It will be appreciated that thefirst and second members 22, 32 may be engaged such that the distancebetween coil bore guard 24 and coil belly guard 34 may differ dependingon the level of overlap between loop pads 29 and hook pads 40 onengagement of the first and second members 22, 32.

A well-known problem experience in the prior art when using any type ofplastic protector adjacent the coil face 12 is that any rubbing of theplastic against the coil face 12 during handling of the coil 10 canresult in a layer of plastic rubbing off on the edges of the coil 10.This is particularly undesirable contamination of the steel of the coil10, is detrimental to the ongoing processing of the steel and can renderthe coil unusable, thereby leading to expensive wastage of steel.

However, in the case of the present application, lifting of the coil 10with a fitted coil guard 20 only serves to solidly secure the firstmember 22 in place relative to the second member 32 and to securelyretain the coil guard 20 in place relative to the coil 10 due to theweight of the coil 10 on the coil bore guard 24 of first member 22during lifting of the coil 10. This means that there is no rubbingbetween the coil face guards 26, 36 of first and second members 22, 32,respectively, and therefore no undesirable deposition of plastic residueon the coil face 12 during handling of the coil 10 when coil guard 20 isin place.

Although aspects of the invention have been described with reference tothe embodiment shown in the accompanying drawings, it is to beunderstood that the invention is not limited to the precise embodimentshown and that various changes and modifications may be effected withoutfurther inventive skill and effort. For example, it will be appreciatedthat where the coil is lifted using a fork-lift fork, a coil guard needonly be fitted to one side of the coil i.e. the side of the coil fromwhich the fork approaches the coil bore. However, if a chain is fedthrough the coil bore for lifting or a crane hook is inserted throughthe coil bore then it may be desirable to fit a coil guard according tothe present invention to each side of the coil in order to protect theedges, belly and faces of the coil on both sides from damage duringhandling.

1. A coil guard for protecting a steel coil having a belly, a bore and aface located therebetween, the coil guard comprising a first memberadapted for engagement with the surface of a coil bore; and a secondmember adapted for engagement with the surface of a coil belly.
 2. Acoil guard according to claim 1, wherein the first member comprises acoil bore guard for engagement with a coil bore and a coil face guardfor engagement with a coil face.
 3. A coil guard according to claim 1,wherein the second member comprises a coil belly guard for engagementwith the surface of a coil belly and a coil face guard for engagementwith the surface of a coil face.
 4. A coil guard according to claim 1,wherein the coil guard further comprises inter-engagement means adaptedto engage both the first and second members.
 5. A coil guard accordingto claim 4, wherein the inter-engagement means comprises a first portionlocated adjacent the first member and a second portion located adjacentthe second member, the first and second portions being adapted forcomplementary inter-engagement with each other to secure the firstmember to the second member.
 6. A coil guard according to claim 5,wherein the complementary inter-engagement portions are adapted forreversible inter-engagement with one another.
 7. A coil guard accordingto claim 5, wherein the inter-engagement means comprises inter-engaginghooks and loops.
 8. A coil guard according to claim 5, wherein the firstand second portions of the inter-engagement means are adhered to thefirst and second members respectively.
 9. A method of protecting a steelcoil from damage, the steel coil comprising the steps of: a. Providing acoil guard according to claim 1; b. Locating the second member adjacentthe surface of a coil belly; and c. Locating the first member adjacentthe surface of a coil bore.
 10. A method according to claim 10 furthercomprising the steps of: d. Providing inter-engagement means adapted toengage both the first and second members; and e. Connecting the firstand second members to one another using the inter-engagement means. 11.A method according to claim 10, wherein the inter-engagement meanscomprises a first portion located adjacent the first member and a secondportion located adjacent the second member such that locating the firstmember adjacent the surface of a coil bore brings the first and secondportions of the inter-engagement means into engagement with one another.12. A coil guard kit comprising a coil guard according to claim 1,wherein the coil face guard of the second member extends from the coilbelly guard for a distance X, and wherein the coil guard kit furthercomprises an additional second member having a coil face guard thatextends from the coil belly guard for a distance X′, wherein thedistance X′ is greater than the distance X.